By Hikari Toda
Chapter 1: The Commencement
"Akimoto-sama, your make-up is ready. You may look now."
The blue-haired actor carefully tried to part his well-shaped eyelashes (as to reveal his cute brown eyes) only to discover that his left eye wouldn't open."Amazing, Naoko-san. You really outdid yourself this time. Why, I couldn't believe that I'm not really scarred.", he said with a smile as he looked closely in the mirror in front of him. The mirror stood on top of a cluttered table full of foundation, powder, eye shadow, perfume, and many other frivolous things needed to make the actor look even more gorgeous than he already is. "But please, the Akimoto-san's too formal. Didn't I tell you to call me by my first name instead?"
Naoko just blushed in reply as she took the necklace of beads that sat on another table beside the artist. She then gave it to him with trembling hands.
"Here you go...Aki—I mean, Raiha-sama...please be careful not to ruin your makeup." She said the words carefully, as if to hide the passion she held deep inside...
"Of course I won't, Naoko-san. You toiled only for so long for this face." He then laughed as he cautiously placed the beads around his neck. He was about to say something when a knock heard from the door interrupted him.
Naoko hurriedly opened the door. She was actually infuriated by the noise; after all, she was treasuring these precious moments she had with Raiha. She then started as a group of girls toppled onto her. Boy, she knew that this was part of her job.
"Is this Raiha-sama's dressing room?", asked one of the girls breathlessly as she hurriedly got up (without minding the others) to look if it was THE room. "Is it?"
Naoko got up with a scowl on her face as she helped the other teenagers get up from the floor. She then smoothed her dress as she placed a hand before the door so that the girl who asked the question would not get in. "I'm sorry, but this is not the room you are looking for.", she said crossly, as she pushed the group even further out of the room, "why, in fact, I do believe that Akimoto-sama's shooting already...wait a minute, how did you get in here? This is a private sector!"
The girls then looked at one another as they edged away from the door. "W-we were given permission, senpai..." She then showed her 5 backstage passes marked with the names Meiko, Natsumi, Megumi, Nakuru, and Chiharu. "We won the contest last week...the one called 'Do you know your Star?' that was about the knowledge we have for dear Raiha-sama..." The five girls then breathed heavily with smiles in their faces.
The words stung Naoko. She herself joined that contest...but she failed to win first prize. Oh well...at least I'm here with him now... she thought, as she glanced upon the girls who seemed nervous for their daring.
"Okay, you could come in now. But I must warn you not to have contact with him, for I she gave emphasis to 'I' have just finished putting on his makeup. Now, come in...", she said with a smile, though it was just a plastic one.
They started going in the room in single file. "She's lucky, isn't she?", whispered the same girl who first spoke to the one beside her as she anxiously embraced her bag as if it were to be stolen in such a restricted place.
"Yes...to be working for THE Raiha Akimoto? Why, I think that I'd die first.", replied the other, not noticing the fact that Motoyo was listening to their private talk. This made her even prouder to be working for HIM.
When they had gone in, the girls were amazed to see such a luxurious dressing room. But they were more surprised still to see Raiha sitting in front of the mirrored table smiling at them. This made their hearts beat even wilder. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't be nervous to be in THE room of Mr. Akimoto? It made them uneasy just to see the door of THE room, but to see him face to face? Nothing else but a dream come true.
Naoko had gone ahead when the girls were too stricken with love as they used to call it...it's infatuation for me so that they could not even exhale in fear that this moment would come to an end at once. She gave the passes to Raiha who, in turn, gave the makeup artist a smile and an oh-so-gratifying 'Thank you'.
Once he got the passes, he suddenly smiled to see the girls' names on them. Wow, they are way too dedicated he thought as he gave the permits back to his Naoko. "Ohayou gozaimas, Meiko, Megumi, Natsumi, Chiharu, and Nakuru. So, you're the girls who won in the recent contest about knowledge of my profile...Let's see if you deserve the honor of being in my parlor right now. How about a little test?", he asked calmly, still flashing his killer smile onto them.
The blue-haired one Meiko, I believe coughed before saying, "As you wish, Raiha-sama."
"Okay." Raiha breathed heavily as he thought of questions about his life. "When and where was I born?"
"May 24, 8:24 pm, Wednesday, in Aomori", replied the brown-haired, light blue-eyed Natsumi as she brushed off the question with a shrug of a shoulder, "Please, Raiha-sama, give us a tough one."
Raiha placed a hand on his chin to think of a more difficult subject just as Natsumi had suggested. Naoko just glimpsed nervously at the actor.
A twinkle then came in to his eyes. "Okay...what's my dream girl?"
"A sexy, beautiful, intelligent, sports-loving, amiable girl. Next.", answered the girl with reddish-pink hair as she hugged her bag even tighter to herself. She was afraid of challenging her relationship with her boyfriend.
"Uhm...maybe I was being too easy on you girls...how about what's my favorite past time?"
"Fishing."
"My favorite car?"
"Black Jaguar with plate number ZLI824."
"Wow. My favorite game?"
"Cards...Go Fish."
"Okay, that's weird. You know too much. My favorite sport?"
"Car racing."
Raiha then looked suspiciously at the girls' faces, one at a time. He then laughed mentally as he said, "You do know much about me...but there is one more thing I need to ask you girls if you do know me that much..."
The girls trembled as they wiped off the sweat that formed on their foreheads. Even Naoko was getting tense. Please don't let them get it...please don't let them get it... she prayed silently, as she looked at Raiha's sober face that didn't look sober at all because of the sparkle in his eyes.
"Okay...why do I hate being called 'Raiha-san'? I'll give you 3 minutes to give me the correct answer."
The girls gulped. Raiha knew that they wouldn't know why because not only did he want to look mysterious in a sort of way, but also because he didn't want the public to know that he too had such a weird excuse for the hatred he had being called by that name.
Naoko looked at the actor with open mouth. She couldn't believe it. He actually asked THE question. The only question that had an answer that he only knew. The only question that the most avid fans look bewildered. The only question that made him a mysterious person to the world that made him a hero. Hopefully...I'll be getting the answer from these girls... Naoko then smiled as Raiha looked upon the girls gravely.
Blue-haired Meiko was the first to guess. "Uhm...past experiences in your childhood?"
Raiha merely shook his head as he tried to hide a frown that formed on his face.
"Does it remind you of the girl you wanted to have but couldn't get?", asked Natsumi with a flirtatious smile.
Raiha choked a laugh. "NO."
The other girls just looked upon Raiha with contempt. Time seemed to fly by so fast.
Finally, the actor then smiled and said quietly, "I'm sorry girls, but time's up."
The girls (including Naoko) whimpered in upset. "So why do you hate being called that name?", asked the blonde Nakuru as she adjusted her glasses to get a better angle of Raiha.
Raiha just laughed and said abruptly, "Ugh...I don't think I'd want to tell you. It's up to you to find out."
He then laughed with the other girls with a feeling of relief and happiness. Good thing they didn't find out.
Naoko, though, was still disappointed. After the girls got the actor's autograph and said good-bye most hesitantly they were going to get a good seat where they could see the shooting later on, Naoko brushed up the few flaws on Raiha's face.
"You better stop twitching your eyes like that or else I'll have to fix you up every minute, Raiha-san.", she said indignantly, as she placed another coat of makeup on his left eye. "But what is the answer, Raiha-sama?"
Raiha quickly turned his head and looked at Naoko with fire in his eyes. He then focused his line of vision to the mirror once more while saying, "I WILL NOT TELL."
Naoko just placed a hand on her heart and made up her mind not to ask that question again. But there was one thing she noticed though..."Is there anything wrong, Raiha-sama with my inquiry?"
He just sighed and ran a hand on his head. "Oh, no. Of course not. Come on, Naoko-san, we're almost going to start."
Naoko hurriedly added a few dashes here and there. Is he okay? Maybe it's the past memories that those girls made him remember. She then placed the brush down and examined her handiwork. Oh, I knew they were trouble. Making my poor Raiha reminisce...
When she had finished, Raiha got up quickly and walked toward the door. "Thanks once again for fixing me up, Naoko-san...I-I'll go now...thanks." He took the staff by the door and slammed the door shut once he was out.
Naoko just looked at the door and sighed. She then started to clear up the things on the table. I really hope that he's all right..." she thought, as she pushed Raiha's chair toward the table with a flourish.
Just as she was about to get the perfume bottle on the drawer, a blue head popped up from the door, making Naoko drop the container in pure shock.
"So...how'd I go?", asked the person from the door, with his eyes settling on Naoko's surprised state.
The makeup artist quickly caught the bottle and set it down on the table in delicate care. She then looked at Raiha for it was he who entered with twitching eyebrows. "What the heck were you thinking of scaring me like that?"
Raiha laughed once again. "I wanted to know if my acting skills need polishing...so, what do you think?"
Naoko easily forgave him on the spot the smile was all she needed as she beamed at him and said wholeheartedly, "You were perfect. I really thought you were depressed or something." She then took the mask that lay in the middle of the disorderly table and held it out for the actor to take. "I believe that you forgot about this too, Raiha-sama."
The actor accepted the mask and carefully placed it on so that he wouldn't ruin the second façade he had on.
"Ha! Thanks, Naoko-san!" He then pecked her on the cheek and got out of the room in a hurry, but not without laughing. He didn't want anyone to think that he was going mellow over his makeup artist.
After all, it was Mr. Raiha Akimoto. He was the richest and most handsome actor in all of Ruehueqsyqj, the Land of Fame which equals to Hollywood in our world. That is why he is respected all over the world. He had shown his superb acting skills in the phenomenal hit-series 'Card Captor Sakura' as Kinomoto Touya. It was this show that made him the most famed of all actors.
Now you may ask, why bring in CCS? What does it have to do with Raiha's life? Well, to start with, I must tell you the history of this land... Ruehueqsyqj, I mean.
This place was once a humble rest stop for the weariest of travelers. The village enjoyed these frequent visits, for the place was situated between the mountains and the busiest city in the whole country. As the population grew, the village-folk planned to make the visits even more enjoyable. They made up simple dramas for the travelers. The travelers, of course, enjoyed them only too much, for their actors and actresses were only too good. That was what made Ruehueqsyqj the Land of Fame.
But things weren't to be stable for so long. Their neighboring community, the Palran, became jealous and wanted to have the Land of Fame for its own. And so they invaded the Land and took away the reputation the territory once owned.
But through it all, the people of the Land that was once renowned continued on with their shows. They wanted back their freedom, and through these simple performances, they were able to manifest their pleas for liberty. And, to avoid being caught by the guards or something like that, the actors and actresses frequently changed their appearances e.g. hair style. This was the start of a trend that was to be kept for more that a thousand years later.
And so, the tale ends. Mr. Raiha Akimoto is just one of those actors who still carry on with the fad that started so long ago. Recently, he has played the role of Kinomoto Touya of CCS as I have already said, Ryuugasaki Takashi (Black Prince) of Akihabara Dennou Gumi (Cyber Team of Akihabara), Haru of Groove Adventure Rave, Kageyama Reiji of Gatekeepers, and Van Fanel of Tenkuu no Escaflowne (Vision of Escaflowne). And, judging by the importance of the said roles in their specific series, he is prized for his great acting skills. But he didn't show his real face to the public while playing the roles. It was also part of the trend not to use your REAL facial features to the public lest they will easily recognize you. The masses only got to know about his gorgeous façade when he 'unmasked' his real self to the public.
Now, for the first time in half a century, a hit-series is produced using the actors' and actresses' 'real' faces. So to speak, Mr. Raiha Akimoto's face will be seen by the general populace not only on TV shows, magazines, and posters, but now on a real-live series as well.
Okay, now for the handsome face I have wanted to describe only for so long. Raiha Akimoto has long, light blue hair that falls in perfect precision and constancy in his every move. His charming brown eyes always seem to twinkle whenever he smiles and laughs. The shape of his face is perfectly molded to give him an even more attractive air around him. His smile is all that he needed to take the most down-to-earth girls breath away. Author melts.
PS: Haha! Very weird, ne? Doesn't at all seem like a Chichiri fanfic yet, huh? Well... many plots are to be unfolded...I just hope that someone will appreciate this story...